Thomas gannon



(No Model.)

T. G-ANNON.

SURFACE GONDBNSER.

Patented June 23, 1885.

fill/d UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS GANNON, OF JERSEY CITY, NEV JERSEY.

SURFACE-CONDENSER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,647, dated June 23,1885.

A Application filed April 11l 1883. (No inodcl.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS GANNON, of Jersey City, in the county ofHudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Surface-Gondensers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates tol surface-condensers of the class shown anddescribed in my United States Letters Patent No. 263,504, dated Angust29, 1882, and in which are comprised a shell or body provided with aninlet and outlet for cooling water, a head containing separatesteam-chambers arranged one above another, and direct and return tubesleading from said chambers, and connected at their outer ends by bendsor manifolds, which are wholly within the shell or body of thecondenser.

In my former patent there were upper and lower direct tubes leading fromeach steamchamber, and connected, respectively, at their outer ends bybends with upper and lower returnstubes leading` to the next chamber.Consequently there was no opportunity for the separation of steam fromthe water of condensation at the outer ends'of the tubes, and

Y the water of condensation delivered by the bends from the upper andlower direct tubes, respectively, wasreturned through the upper andlower return-tubes.

My present invention consists in the combination, with a condenser shellor body and a head containing separate steam-chambers arranged one aboveanother, of upper and lower direct tubes leading from each chamber,upper and lower return-tubes leading to the next lower chamber, and asingle manifold independent of and within the shell or body, and bywhich the outer ends of the two direct and two return tubes in eachvertical tier are connected. This construction provides for a separationin the manifold of all steam from the water of condensation receivedfrom the direct tubes, and all this water returns through the lowerreturn-tube in the tier, while only steam enters the upper return-tubeat the manifold.

The invention further consists in the combination, with the shell orbody and a head comprising separate steam chambers arranged one aboveanother, and direct and return tubes connected by bends or manifolds, ofnovel connections whereby tubes in the same horizontal row may be`connected with the steam-chambers, and means whereby the tubes connectedby bends or manifolds at their outer ends are supported, all as morefully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of acondenser embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of aportion thereof. Fig. 3 is an end view of a coupling which I employ forconnecting the tubes with their tube-sheet, and Figs. 4: and 5 aredetail views hereinafter described.

Similar lletters of referencev designate corresponding parts in theseveral figures.

A designates the longitudinal shell or body of the condenser, and A A2designate the two upright or vertical heads thereof. The head A issimply a flat plate; but the head AL is a hollow casting containing aseries of ehambers, a b c d, arranged one over another, and closed by aremovable bonnet, A3.

The shell or body A has a water-inlet pipe, B, at or near the bottoni,and an outlet-pipe, C, at or near the top, as shown in Fig. 1, and itcontains longitudinal diaphragms I), which extend alternately from eachend nearly to the other end, leaving openings e for the passage ofwater. provided with a steam-inlet, a', and from the lower chamber, d,there extends an outletpipe, d', for the water of condensation.

From each of the chambers a b c there extend outward upper and lowerdirect tubes, E E', and to each of the chambers b c d there extend upperand lower return-tubes, F F. At the outer ends of the tubes the fourtubes E E F F in each vertical tier are connected by a manifold, G, andat their inner ends the tubes are connected by couplings H with the tubesheet or plate f.

Each of the couplings H has four branches, g, which are in the sainehorizontal plane, and

which are connected with four tubes in any of the horizontal rows, and asingle branch or screw-threaded extension, h, which passes through thetube plate or sheet f, and is secured therein by a nut, t'. In eachcoupling H is a diaphragm or partition, g', which is shown in Fig. 2,and which divides the enter- The upper stea1n-chamber, a., is

ICO

ing steam, and causes it to, pass equally to the tubes on each side ofsaid diaphragm or partition.

In the chamber a is a baffie-plate,j, in front of the steam-inlet a',which serves to scatter the steam, and to cause it to pass equallythrough all the tubes.

From the chamber a the steam passes outward through the direct tubes EE', but when it reaches the manifolds G at their outer ends itseparates, and the water of condensation all returns to the chamber bthrough the lower return-tubes, F', while steam only returns through theupper return-tubes, F. In the chamber b separation again takes place,and the water all passes outward through the lower direct tubes, E', andsteam only through' the upper direct tubes, E. In the manifolds Gseparation of the steam and water again takes place, and so on throughthe condenser at both ends of the tubes. The result of this separationis, that the upper direct and return tubes, E F, are given up wholly tosteam and have an effective exposure throughout their entirecircumference, while through the lower direct and return tubes water andsteam pass.

Obviously there might be six or more tubes connected with each manifoldinstead of four, as here shown; but in all cases there should he atleast four tubes, so that there may always be upper and lower tubes,both direct and return.

The horizontal arrangement of the condenser-tubes and the verticalarrangement of the steam-chambers is imperative, because the water ofcondensation will then drain readily from each chamber to the chamberneXt lower, and by connecting an air-pump with the pipe d an effectivevacuum may be maintained. This could not be done if the tubes werevertical, as the hot water of condensation would remain in thesteam-chambers, and as soon as the pressure was reduced belowr that ofthe atmosphere would give off vapor,which would prevent the formation ofa vacuum.

Instead of connecting the outer ends of the tubes by mani folds thedirect and return tubes might be connected by return-bends E2 F, asshown in Fig. 4; but in that case there would be a separation of thewater of condensation from the steam at the steam-chanbers only.

In Fig. 5 I have represented another arrangement of tubes in which fourdirect tubes, E E E E, are intended to lead from each chamber, and fourreturn-tubes, F F F F, to lead to the next lower chamber. The two upperdirect tubes, E E, and the two lower return tubes,F F/,are connected byone manifold, G, and the two lower directtubes, E E, and the two upperreturn tubes,F F,are connected by a manifold, G. In this case themanifold G is long enough to straddle the manifold G. The separation ofsteam and water would take place in the two manifolds, and water willflow outward through the single direct tube E', but will flow back orreturn through the lower tubes, F F', leading from both manifolds. It isnecessary that'the tubes should be supported at their outer ends, and Iprovide Afor this in Figs. 1 and 2 by providing the manifolds Gr withinwardly-projecting studs or pins 0, which enter holes or guides insupports or bars O. This is more advantageous than if the studs or pinsprojected outward and engaged with supports behind oroutside themanifolds. If it is desired to remove any one group of tubes, I simplydisconnect their ends from the tube-platef, and when the head Av isremoved they may be drawn out without disturbing any other of the tubes.

Where two return bends or manifolds are employed', as shown in Figs. 4and 5, the in- -ner bend or manifold has a pin or stud, o, which entersa cross-bar, O; but the outer bend or manifold has a similar pin orstud, o', which enters a socket, o2, in the back of the inner bend ormanifold. The outer bend or manifold and its attached tubes can then bedrawn out, and afterward the inner bend or manifold and its attachedtubes.

I do not claim, broadly, the connection of the tubes of a condenser withthe tube plate or sheet by couplings each having branches for a numberof tubes, and a single externallythreaded extension passing through thetube plate or sheet. I only seek to cover such a coupling when thebranches for the tubes are all in the same horizontal plane.

VhatI claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with a condenser shell or body and a head containingseparate steamchambers arranged one above another, of upper and lowerdirect tubes'leading from each chamber, upper and lower return-tubeslead- IOO ing to the neXt lower chamber, and a single manifoldindependent of and within the shell or body, whereby the outer ends ofthe two direct and two return tubes in each vertical tier are connected,substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the shell or body A and the head A2, containingseparate steamchambers arranged one above another, of the direct andreturn tubes arranged in vertical tiers, the tubes in each tier beingconnected by bends or manifolds independent of and within the shell orbody, and the couplings H, each comprising a number of branches, g, withwhich the tubes are connected, and which are all arranged in onehorizontal plane, and a single branch or extensiomh, externallyscrewthreaded, and provided with a nut, if, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the direct and return tubes of a condenser, anda bend or manifold connectingV them,of a stud or pin, o, projectinginwardly from the bend or manifold, and a bar or support, 0, with whichit engages, extending across the shell or body on the inner side ofthebend or 1nanifold,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination, with the direct and return tubes of a condenser andbends or mani- IIO folds arranged one Within the other, and con neotingsaid tubes, of a stud or pin, o, projecting inward from the inner bendor manifold, and a bar or support, O, with Which it engages, and whichextends across the shell or body inside the inner bend or manifold, anda stud or piu, o', projecting inward from the outer bend or manifold,and engaging with a socket, o2, on the inner bend or manifold,substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination, with the shell or body A and the head Aoontainingseparate steamchambers arranged one above another, of the FREDK. HAYNEs,ED. L. MORAN.

